The TSPSC Paper Leak Case
An insider at Telangana's public service commission and an outsourced network administrator hacked the confidential section's own computer to steal and resell exam papers — a racket that a police chargesheet says moved over Rs 1.63 crore before it was caught.
The Promise
“Recruitment to Telangana government posts through TSPSC examinations will be conducted on the basis of question papers kept strictly confidential within the Commission's own systems.”
— Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC), State body responsible for recruitment to Telangana government posts through competitive examinations · 5 March 2023
This reflects TSPSC's standard institutional mandate for the Assistant Engineer recruitment exam, rather than a verified quotation from a specific TSPSC statement, which this entry has not located.
The Standard
An Assistant Engineer recruitment exam, sat by around 55,000 aspirants on 5 March 2023, conducted using a question paper that remained confidential within TSPSC's own secured computer systems until the exam itself.
TSPSC's own data-security protocols for its confidential examination section.
In force from 5 March 2023
The Reality
TSPSC's Assistant Engineer (Civil and other disciplines) recruitment exam was held on 5 March 2023 for roughly 55,000 candidates. According to the Special Investigation Team formed by Hyderabad Police, Pulidindi Praveen Kumar — an Assistant Section Officer who also served as personal assistant to the TSPSC Secretary — conspired with Atla Raja Shekar, an outsourced network administrator in TSPSC's confidential section, to hack the password of the confidential section's computer, copy the compiled question papers onto a pen drive, and print and sell them to a network of intermediaries and candidates. TSPSC filed a complaint with Begum Bazar police on 11 March 2023, and Hyderabad Police arrested nine people, including two TSPSC staffers, on 13 March 2023; the total held rose to 49 as the SIT's investigation expanded, with one accused, reportedly in New Zealand, still at large. TSPSC formally cancelled the Assistant Engineer exam on 15 March 2023, along with the Group-I preliminary exam and two other tests, citing the FIR. The SIT's preliminary chargesheet, filed roughly three months after the leak, stated that around Rs 1.63 crore had changed hands in the sale of TSPSC papers across multiple exams. This entry has not confirmed the trial's current stage or any verdicts.
As of 9 June 2023
The Gap
Bars share a single zero-based scale. No axis truncation is used to exaggerate or minimize the gap between the two figures.
Timeline
- StatusAssistant Engineer exam held
TSPSC conducts the Assistant Engineer recruitment exam for around 55,000 candidates.
- StatusTSPSC files police complaint
TSPSC complains to Begum Bazar police, Hyderabad, after learning the question paper had leaked.
- MilestoneFirst arrests made
Hyderabad Police arrest nine people, including two TSPSC staffers, over the leak.
- RevisionExam cancelled
TSPSC cancels the Assistant Engineer exam, along with the Group-I preliminary exam and two other tests, citing the confirmed leak.
- MilestoneSIT files preliminary chargesheet
The chargesheet, filed against 49 accused, states that around Rs 1.63 crore was transacted in the sale of leaked TSPSC papers.
Legal Status
This is a stub entry. The Special Investigation Team's preliminary chargesheet named 49 accused, including alleged ringleader Pulidindi Praveen Kumar and TSPSC network administrator Atla Raja Shekar. This investigation has not confirmed the trial's current stage or any verdicts.
Named as the alleged principal conspirator in the SIT's chargesheet. This investigation has not confirmed a trial outcome.
Alleged to have provided the technical access used to hack the confidential section's computer. This investigation has not confirmed a trial outcome.
Verdict
This is a stub entry, pending fuller research. The insider mechanism of the leak — a TSPSC staffer and an outsourced IT contractor allegedly hacking the Commission's own confidential-section computer — and the resulting exam cancellations are well documented through the police complaint, arrests, and preliminary chargesheet. The trial's outcome has not yet been confirmed.
The exam date, complaint date, arrest count, and chargesheet's headline financial figure are corroborated across multiple independent reports, including Hyderabad Police's own press materials. However, this entry has not confirmed any final chargesheet, trial verdict, or sentencing beyond the June 2023 preliminary chargesheet.
What remains incomplete
- This is a stub entry; deeper research on the trial's current stage and any convictions since mid-2023 is pending.
- The rescheduled dates for the Assistant Engineer, Group-I preliminary, and other cancelled exams have not been confirmed here.
- The identity and status of the accused reportedly at large in New Zealand has not been independently confirmed.
- This entry has not reviewed the SIT's full chargesheet document; it relies on news summaries.
Sources
Related investigations
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